Public Corruption
Chairman of panel nominating regulator’s replacement also has ties to FirstEnergy, nuclear bailout
The connections between a power company at the center of a massive scandal involving a nuclear bailout and the Ohio agency that’s supposed to regulate it increasingly appear to be deep. Consider: On Jan. 31, 2019, Michael Koren chaired a meeting of the Public Utility Commission of Ohio’s Nominating Council, which recommends people for posts […]
Ohio utility poised to keep scandal-tainted bailout money even if it’s repealed
When it comes to billions of ratepayer dollars for bailouts and other add-ons, Ohio utilities are in a no-lose situation. In the case of the scandal-plagued, billion-dollar bailout of two Northern Ohio nuclear reactors, their owner is poised to keep any money they collect even if the legislature repeals the bailout. State Rep. Mark Romanchuk, […]
Bankruptcy judge orders lobbyists to explain their role in HB 6
A federal judge handling the bankruptcy of a company involved in an allegedly corrupt nuclear bailout has ordered a prominent law firm to explain its role in the affair. The firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, served both as lead bankruptcy counsel to the company receiving the $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout and as […]
FirstEnergy firings prompt regulatory audit in nuclear bailout scandal
It slipped under the radar last week, but on the day after the presidential election the Public Utility Commission of Ohio ordered a management audit of Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. to determine whether it abided by separation rules when it spun off its nuclear reactors in 2016.
Not a single HB 6 ‘yes’ vote lost their election. Some ‘no’ votes did.
The scandal surrounding House Bill 6 took out the speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. It has dominated the newspages and airwaves for months. It was the subject of countless campaign attack ads. In the end, voters didn’t seem to care. The scandal implicating former Speaker Larry Householder and his effort to get a […]
Two men tied to Householder corruption probe plead guilty
Two men charged alongside former GOP House Speaker Larry Householder in an alleged racketeering operation channeled through the Ohio Statehouse pleaded guilty to one felony federal charge each Thursday afternoon. The pleas mark the first known convictions in the Householder affair and an early victory for prosecutors. They also raise the possibility of the men […]
Democrats, Republicans seek to pin Householder scandal on each other
Larry Householder has gone from the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives to the pariah of Ohio politics. The Republican’s name has appeared in advertisements from both political parties this election season, as the two sides have attempted to pin alleged corruption at the Ohio Statehouse on each other. Democrats have accused various Republican […]
Power company says utility commission has no power to investigate role in bailout scandal
An Akron-based utility company that figures prominently in a massive nuclear bailout scandal is saying that state regulators don’t have the authority to investigate whether the company improperly financed the bailout effort. Over the past week, FirstEnergy Corp. has filed two documents with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio saying that the commission and the […]
Householder, on trial for corruption, gets endorsement from home county
For two months, Rep. Larry Householder has ignored widespread calls to resign following his arrest and alleged involvement in what prosecutors say is the biggest bribery scheme in Ohio political history. Though he is on trial for racketeering, the Glenford Republican still serves as a state representative and has plenty of support from his native […]
FirstEnergy says it didn’t have “strategic direction” of nuclear plants during bailout scandal
FirstEnergy is trying to distance itself from a massive corruption scandal that has gripped the Statehouse since July, but it's unclear whether federal or state officials are buying it.
Ohio AG files suit in mammoth bribery scandal
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Wednesday sued the players in a massive scandal that continues to roil state politics. Yost is seeking to stop a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout from flowing to a Northern Ohio electric utility after a rate hike to pay for it that is scheduled to start Jan. 1. And he’s […]
Consumer advocate again demanding independent probe of FirstEnergy
Ohio's official consumer advocate is again asking that regulators mount an independent investigation into whether a Northern Ohio utility improperly used ratepayer funds to fuel what federal prosecutors called the biggest bribery scandal in state history.